"I think that ESPN has chosen a lane politically," Whitlock said. "[ESPN President] John Skipper has certainly made diversity in his view a business innovation for ESPN and has moved the company to the left. So I think no action here against Jemele Hill is a clear sign that they're in agreement."

He argued that many media outlets, including ESPN, are controlled by social media, which tends to push people to the far left.

"Attacking the president is a way to get retweeted and liked and to build your following," Whitlock said. "[Hill] just fell into that trap that a lot of us in the media fall into. We're way too addicted to Twitter, and we're way too worried about how many people follow us on Twitter and how many people like us."